15 Dead in Stampede at Hindu Mega festival in India

Deadly Stampede at India’s Maha Kumbh Mela Leaves 15 Dead

At least 15 people were killed and many more injured in a stampede at the world’s largest religious gathering, the Maha Kumbh Mela festival, in Prayagraj, India. The tragic incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning, according to a doctor at the festival site who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“At least 15 people have died for now. Others are being treated,” the doctor said. Rescue teams, along with pilgrims, worked together to carry victims away from the accident site, where the ground was strewn with clothes, shoes, and other belongings left behind in the chaos.

Police officers were seen moving through the area, carrying stretchers bearing the bodies of victims draped with thick blankets. Dozens of relatives waited anxiously for news outside a large tent serving as a makeshift hospital set up for the festival, located about one kilometer from the accident site.

Wednesday marked one of the holiest days of the six-week festival, when saffron-clad holy men were due to lead millions in a procession for sin-cleansing ritual bathing at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers. Instead, officials patrolled the festival grounds with loudspeakers, urging pilgrims to stay away from the waterways.

“We humbly request all devotees to not come to the main bathing spot,” announced one festival staff member through a megaphone. “Please cooperate with security personnel.”

Many pilgrims decided to leave the festival early in light of the tragedy. Local government official Akanksha Rana told the Press Trust of India news agency that the stampede began after the collapse of some crowd control barriers.

The Maha Kumbh Mela, rooted in Hindu mythology involving a battle between deities and demons for a pitcher containing the nectar of immortality, is a significant event on the Hindu religious calendar. Organizers had anticipated up to 400 million pilgrims to visit before the festival’s conclusion on February 26.

Aware of the risks associated with massive crowds, authorities had installed hundreds of cameras and drones to monitor the festival site and surrounding roads. The surveillance network was connected to a command and control center designed to alert staff if crowd densities reached dangerous levels.

This is not the first time the Maha Kumbh Mela has witnessed such tragedies. In 1954, more than 400 people died after being trampled or drowned on a single day of the festival. In 2013, another 36 people were crushed to death, highlighting the ongoing challenges of managing the colossal event.

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